It is truly amazing that nobody in Malta has ever questioned one statement repeated by politicians, journalists, columnists and even the Department of Information, that has become accepted as gospel, solely due to the fact that it is repeated constantly on the media. The statement I refer to is that tourism “accounts for a quarter of Malta’s Gross National Product”. This is a grave, although probably not deliberate, untruth. Total tourism spending in Malta amounts to some Lm 300 million, out of which one must deduct the import content of this same expenditure, that could amount to anything between 20-40 per cent. This means that the real value added by the tourism sector is between Lm180 to Lm240 million. This means that tourism accounts for anything between 10-14 per cent of our GDP. It would be interesting, to say the least, to know from the National Statistics Office or the Central Bank, what the figure really is. As always, I stand to be corrected.

Having said this, even at 10-14 per cent of our GDP, tourism still remains our most important industry. However, before the new MTA chairman sits down to set out his strategy for the industry, it would be wise to be aware of the facts, rather than depending on industry hearsay.

Edward Fenech

Spokesperson – Finance, the Economy and Tourism

Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party